


stare at the sun

by knightswatch



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Challenge: Sport Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2016, Curse Breaking, Curses, M/M, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 16:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7581703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knightswatch/pseuds/knightswatch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yahaba breaks a curse for Kyoutani.</p>
            </blockquote>





	stare at the sun

Yahaba Shigeru was always taught to avoid the forest.

He's been taught many things over his life. That's how he came to be living on the very edge of the woods, a mixed sense of curiosity and a foolish lack of fear. It would be pointless to try to avoid the forest entirely, it lurks at the edges of the map like an animal waiting to strike.

What he doesn't expect is for something to come out of the forest to meet him.

That something comes in the shape of a cursed, confused wolf, who stumbles out in an unfortunately human shape. Naked, of course, and terrified of letting Shigeru anywhere near him. He spends days lurking in what amounts to Shigeru's yard, yellow eyes glowing in the darkness.

For his part, Shigeru mostly ignores the creature. He figures this is the kind of behavior that led to a witch hexing him in the first place. And if he throws extra food scraps into his hard, who's there to see him do it?

Kyoutani, as he comes to learn the wolf calls himself, isn't as bad as he seems. In the end, when he calms down enough to actually come inside Shigeru's small cottage and speak, he's interesting. Frustrating, hot-headed, too quick to make choices and not patient enough to listen.

But, not as bad as Shigeru might expect. They get along, in their way.

* * * 

The curse is a complex chain of runes scarred into Kyoutani's back. The skin is red and angry like the curse was freshly laid and not nearly a year old by this point. Kyoutani is sitting on a cushion in the middle of the floor. He settles his shoulders, then rolls them, shuffling his position nervously. Shigeru can hardly blame him; breaking curses is messy and painful at the best of times.

With a sigh, he returns to the mortar in his hands. It's mixed already; lilac to calm him, rowan and hazel to nullify the magic, rose oil to break the bonds holding the spell together, white tea to help restore him. The mixture in his hands smells sweet and earthy, and he kneels behind Kyoutani, running the pad of his thumb over the scars and setting the mortar by his knee. There's a small brush in his other hand, and he sets it into the mixture. "Are you ready?"

Kyoutani shrugs. Shigeru huffs at that, pausing in stroking his back to shake his head. "We don't have to do this if you aren't."

"I'm fine. Just get on with it," Kyoutani growls, ducking his head quickly. Shigeru rolls his eyes at the attitude, drawing his thumb down the line of Kyoutani's spine.

He doesn't want to think about what happens when the curse is broken and Kyoutani returns to the forest. He's a wild thing, it's unlikely he'll ever come back to Shigeru and their small cottage.

There was a time Shigeru was fond of the peace that came with living alone. Now it just makes him feel empty, lonely already even with Kyoutani still there.

"Alright," Shigeru responds, taking a moment to center himself and brush away the negative thoughts. He can dwell later, he supposes, when he doesn't have the delicate work of actually breaking the curse to attend to. He picks the brush up, wiping the excess on the side of the mortar so it drips back in, before tracing the shape of the first rune, painting it over.

Kyoutani's breath comes in a single sharp gasp before he relaxes again, and Shigeru watches the scar go from red to black. He continues on to the others, tracing each mark carefully so he can remove each one. Kyoutani hisses softly on occasion, but other than that he remains quiet and still as a statue. Shigeru sets the brush down when each rune is black, 

He lifts his hand to touch Kyoutani's shoulders, surprised to find that his fingers are shaking. "Just a bit more."

The murmur is meant to be encouraging, but Kyoutani does nothing to show he's even heard Shigeru speak. The runes peel away from his skin with quick pinches and pulls of Shigeru's fingers, and he sets each one to the side. Beneath them, the skin of Kyoutani's back is clean and unmarked.

When he sets the last one to the side, Kyoutani drops his head into his hands and groans loudly, his back arching. Shigeru's fingers hover inches away from his skin, wondering if he's done something wrong.

Kyoutani pushes himself quickly to his feet, eyes wide as he turns, sprinting for the door. Yahaba's heart sinks, even as he stands to chase after him.

What he finds on the green spring grass of his lawn is not a wolf, but a bronze dragon, stretching his wings in the sunlight and shaking himself. Shigeru hesitates in the doorway, staring, eyes like silver coins.

"K- Kyoutani?" He asks, voice trembling. The dragon turns to face him, and the only thing Shigeru recognizes of his friend is the eyes. Kyoutani turns around, his steps careful, lowering his head to touch his muzzle to Yahaba''s forehead.

"Thank you," his voice is soft, and warm air blows over Shigeru's face.

He wants to ask Kyoutani to stay. He watches his wings unfurl, the light of the sun shining golden through the membrane, watches his strong muscles bunch just before he leaps into the air, beating his wings hard to gain altitude.

He wants to ask, even as Kyoutani becomes a golden shape in the sky to equal the sun. Instead, he turns back to his small cottage and sweeps the cursed runes outside for the wind to take as well.


End file.
